Friday, March 7, 2014

--Tat Tat Tatted Up--

I've been wanting to write this post since the second I got these tattoos, but I wanted to wait so I could tell you all about the FULL experience-- healing and everything.

The back story...
I've wanted tattoos since I turned 18. I'm not one to just tattoo myself because it's the "cool thing to do". Obviously tattoos are about as permanent as it gets, and I knew since the beginning that if I was going to get a tattoo, it had to be something with meaning. I've seen SO many people with ridiculous tattoos....some regret them now and others will most likely regret them later. Over the years quite a few tattoo ideas have been crossed off the list. I decided to get something that I've wanted for a while now, something that is so simple but means the world to me-- my daughters' names. My love for them will never change, and both tattoos would be something I could be proud of. Nothing means more to me than my kids. The placement was a little trickier to figure out. I wanted to put these tattoos somewhere that they would be seen (why would I want to hide them?!) but I still wanted it to look nice and "girly". I decided to put a name on each wrist.

I had researched tattoo shops for months before I actually decided on what shop I wanted to get my tattoo at. I asked friends (who had tattoos that looked good) where they got their work done at, I read reviews online, etc. Once I narrowed down my search to a few tattoo shops that I liked, I looked at the artists's work. I started calling around and asking about prices. Then I visited a couple shops. Originally I wanted to go to the shop that did my Monroe piercing, but the receptionist was really rude and the guy that did the tattoos didn't seem like he had much experience. I was out of there. After that I visited the shop that I ended up getting my tattoos at, and they asked me what I wanted, where I wanted it, and what font I wanted. I showed them a few photos and the shop assistant told me that they could do it in about an hour. I was nervous but SO excited. (For those that live in or near Chicago, I got my tattoos done at Rising Phoenix Tattoo by Chris.

Here is a photo of my virgin wrists (lol) about a minute before I walked into the tattoo shop. Ignore the mark on my right wrist-- I had a hair band on it all day and totally forgot until right before I went in.

Getting my tattoo...
I walked in and someone else was getting their tattoo finished. She looked like she was in a lot of pain, which really freaked me out. I kept my composure though and waited. The shop assistant massaged out the mark from my hair band (lol) and then he put the stencils on me. He was super nice and reassured me that it doesn't hurt as bad as I think it will, and it will be over quick.

Once the stencils were on I sat down in the actual tattoo chair and told Chris that I'm shaky and I'll try to sit still. He laughed and told me that unless I want a fucked up tattoo I'd have to sit still. He kept cracking jokes and was pretty funny. I could tell he was trying to calm my nerves. He turned on his tattoo gun and my heart dropped into my stomach. I remember saying "shit" and then being embarrassed that I said it. Whoops. I told him to do Nevaeh's name first because she was my first born and in case I couldn't take the pain, she deserved her name on me first. Haha. He did it backwards, starting with the "h". The "h" didn't hurt at all. I stupidly assumed that's how the whole tattoo would feel. I was wrong. When he started getting closer to the middle of my wrist, it started to get pretty painful. I'm assuming there are more nerve endings there so that's why it hurt more. The "N" was also painful because the beginning of it is right over my bone. Ouch.

For some reason my Alexis tattoo was wayyy more painful. I remember him going over the "x" a few times and every time he did it my hand would involuntarily jerk. That was the only time I came close to crying. I held it in though and took it like a champ. ;) If I had to describe what getting my wrists tattooed felt like, I would say that some parts feel like absolutely nothing, and some parts feel like someone is holding a lighter to your skin and burning you. He had to hold both hands down really hard, and now I understand why.

Once he was done I was so in love with the finished product. It was exactly what I wanted. I couldn't imagine loving my tattoos any more than I do. He wiped me off, bandaged me up, and off I went. I was told to keep the bandages on for 2 hours. Here is what my tattoos looked like a couple hours later:

For both tattoos it cost me $120. I also tipped him, because he did a great job.

The aftercare...
I was given a package with ointment for my tattoos, Rising Phoenix business cards and a bumper sticker, and directions for the after care of my tattoos.

I thought it would be a somewhat painful healing process but it wasn't bad at all. The next morning when I woke up, it felt like someone had scratched my wrists. I've been diligently caring for my new tattoos exactly the way Chris advised me. Overall I had an amazing experience and couldn't have asked for a more friendly, fun atmosphere. Once these babies heal up, I think I'm going to bite the bullet and get the quote that I've been wanting. I don't want to say which quote it is because I don't want anyone (mainly one person) to take my idea. I did these first because they mean the most to me, and also because they were simple and one word each, and I wanted to see how painful it would be. I would hate to have done a quote for my first tattoo and had to stop halfway through because I couldn't take the pain. The guy at the shop made a good point-- I pushed two babies out (one of them naturally with NO pain meds whatsoever), I'm pretty sure getting a tattoo hurts way less. Hahaha.

Sorry this was so long. I wanted to make sure I covered everything. Do you have any tattoos/piercings? Do you want any? Let me know in the comments below. Also feel free to ask any questions if I missed anything. :)

That's what I was hoping. The fleshier the location of your tattoo, the easier it will be. I looked up some of those charts about tattoo pain that showed the whole body and ranked the pain factor. The wrists are somewhere in the middle. The butt cheek is the easiest. hahaha. I'm a big baby with pain, my fiance told me that I sounded like a "possessed animal" while giving birth to our youngest so I'm SURE you'll do fine. :)

Awesome tattoos! I thought of getting a tattoo on my wrists before, but never got to it. Maybe I'll do it someday haha. I do, however, have a pretty huge tattoo on my back. It was my first tattoo. My tattoo artist said I was being pretty ambitious, and I guess I was hehe but it was worth it when it was said and done. Is the ointment they give you specifically from their shop? I just wanted to let you know that you don't have to stick with that brand if it runs out. A lot of people use the A&D ointment as well :)

Yeah you definitely are ambitious! Did you finish it in one sitting?? Ouch!! :) I barely got through mine but I stayed quiet (other than a few loud "shit"'s and "f*ck"'s. ;) haha. Yes it's from their shop, it came in the little packet. Thanks for the advice, I'm already running low because it's healing now and starting to get a little dry so I've been using the ointment religiously. :)

Congratulations! I am the same way, if I'm getting something permanent I like it to have a meaning for me! Having had 2 very personal tattoos done I would never make a comment on somebody else's even if I think they made a silly decision! Anyhow, you won't regret getting your girls names tattooed! So cute! The writing is really nice too!xoThe Beauty Break // http://beautytimebreak.blogspot.com

Thanks for commenting on my blog! Have responded to your comment :-) love these tattoos as well, the writing is really neat! I really want a tattoo but can't decide what I want or where.. I'm thinking somewhere meaty like the top of my foot?! Hopefully it wont be so painful?! haha xx

Hey Hannah <3Thanks for your sweet comment!! :) I looked up "tattoo pain chart" on Google, and it brought up a bunch of images of the body and it rated them on a 1-5 star scale. It was really helpful. I knew where I wanted it but I wanted to be prepared and know what to expect. ;) The top of your foot probably wouldn't be too bad. I think somewhere like your arm or stomach would be even less painful. My best friend has an ankle tattoo that she said wasn't too bad either.

Aww that's cute. Sometimes the smallest tattoos can be adorable. :) I'm having so much fun Snapchatting with you too!! As you know I just downloaded the app a couple weeks ago and I've been going Snapchat crazy!! haha. It's addicting, especially when I'm bored. ;)

Thanks for reading && commenting!! :) Definitely make sure that if you get a tattoo it's something that means a lot to you. Don't just do it to get a tattoo. You have to remember it's going to be on you for the rest of your life (unless of course you do laser therapy, which I've heard is ridiculously painful). I'm sure you'll figure it out! Be creative, look for ideas online and do something that applies to your own life. :)

Thanks sweetie!! :) I *LOVE* a tattooed man. Oh my God. I think that is so sexy! haha. Of course if they go overboard that's a completely different story...I think face tattoos are horrible. LOL. A man with *some* tats is my weakness though. ;)

I love tattoos, but I don't think I would ever have one on my body. I am too scared that one day I would change my mind. I know you can still remove it with a laser, but you would get a scar, so not great... Thank you so much for nominating me for Liebster award!!! Much appreciated!!! Currently I have a few blog post ideas that need to be done, but if I run out of them, I'll do a blog post about the award. Regardless, I want to say a BIG THANK YOU!www.minsbeautyequipment.com

Hey Sarah, your tats are cuuuute. I'm so glad you did an in-depth post and you did so much research/thinking into where on your body you would have your tattoos done, what you would have done, how much pain you would feel, what tattoo shop you wanted to go to. I know so many girls that got tattoos done in high school when there was a HUGE craze for them and everyone just went wild, and people would come in with something they had gone to a local salon for and chosen from a catalogue book there. I think so many people get their tattoos on a whim or off a craze and I just could not bear to be one of those people with a million regrets in a few years' time. I have been on and off about getting one for so long, so it's nice to see someone else that's been in a self-struggle. It's so refreshing you really thought about yours and did so much research into location (why do people just go to the first place they see?), as opposed to the party-goers that get drunk tattoos when smashed on holiday.

You posted on my blog that you used to write about things that you thought others wanted to hear about, much like myself, but now you write about whatever pleases you. I can now see this is definitely the case! So many people could not read through your whole experience but you definitely had me hooked, so don't go back to writing for others because now you know there are people that are genuinely interested.

Thanks so much for posting on my 'Confessional'. Beautiful words like yours in a lovely comment are so much more appreciated in my books than a thousand superficial ones. I was really touched that you took the time to write to me with such nice things to say. Thanks again! Will be visiting you soon, RosemaryX

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About Me

I'm a mommy of 2 from Chicago, IL. I have two princesses that are my life and a fiance that I don't know what I would do without. I love dancing, spending time with friends/family, blogging, and SHOPPING. ;)